


Infernal Akali

by a_crested_eagle



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe, Diary/Journal, Gen, Lovecraftian, Monsters, Original Character(s), POV First Person, Post-Apocalypse, a good title? what's that?, only during the journal parts, which is most of it tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22144726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_crested_eagle/pseuds/a_crested_eagle
Summary: Runeterra has been burning for a century.Orianna, the sole survivor of the fiery apocalypse, is looking for answers.
Relationships: Orianna Reveck & Yuumi (League of Legends), Shen & Akali (League of Legends)
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, positive and negative, is welcome.
> 
> Inspired from the splash arts of Infernal Akali and Frozen Shen.
> 
> I say Lovecraftian, but my knowledge of his stories is coming from Youtube summaries (namely the ones from the ''Overly Sarcastic Productions'' channel), so take that tag with a grain of salt.

Ash was falling slowly on Orianna’s shoulders as she walked through the grey landscape. She walked through trees burned to black, her every step raising small clouds of ash from the black soil. The Ball was flying nearby. She felt some peace seeing it. Even now, when she was the only sentient being left in this world, she still had its silent company. Orianna adjusted her backpack on her shoulders, thinking back to the day Runeterra burned.

  
A hundred years had passed since that day. A hundred years since she heard the deafening scream of the Fire. A hundred years since she was pulled into a floating book as the world around her turned orange. She had awakened into an old wooden hut, a blue cat over her head, asking her if she was alright. Later she would learn that the cat’s name was Yuumi. And that Yuumi had transported her into the mythical Bandle City. When they tried to go back to Runeterra, flames had busted out of the portal, burning the edges of the book. So, they lived together in the cabin for years, occasionally checking if the flames had died down. On the tenth year of Orianna’s stay at Bundle City, the portal they opened didn’t burn. They got out in a burned city, lit not by the sun, but by the enormous Fire burning in the horizon. Cinders and black ash were raining down from the sky, hitting the streets of what used to be Piltover.

  
Now, a century later, Orianna could still see the orange hue of the distant Fire, reflecting on the clouds of ash. She and Yuumi had been researching what had happened. A few months ago, they had managed to pinpoint the starting point of the Fire. Yuumi was now very old, even for a magical cat, so Orianna was taking on this expedition alone. According to their research, there used to be a village here, build around an ancient tree.

  
The ball spotted it first. A huge black mass of charcoal was towering over a big opening in this forest of dead trees. Orianna picked up her pace and run to the clearing. Surprisingly, most of the buildings had survived the Fire. For a forest village, an unusual number of the buildings were built with, now blackened, stone. She walked through the ominous, black corpses of an age long past, heading towards the centre. She searched all over the area but, other than the unusual number of stone buildings, everything was as with every other town she had visited.

  
As Orianna passed below the giant tree’s remains, she tripped over something below the ash. Intrigued, she swept the ash from the ground, revealing an old trapdoor. It was half a meter wide, one meter tall, and surprisingly, not burned. More curious than ever, she commanded the ball to fly around the tree, in case Yuumi opened a portal for her to come back.

  
Then, with quiet excitement, Orianna grabbed the handle and pulled slowly. The trapdoor refused to budge at first. Orianna firmly planted her feet to the ground, grabbed the handle with both hands, and pulled with all her strength. Her abnormal mechanical strength helped her pull the trapdoor off its hinges and over her head. It crashed a few meters behind her, revealing its full size. It was more like a cork from a bottle, two meters of unprocessed rock. At its bottom, faded blue runes could be seen. Orianna could only speculate that their magic was what lifted the rock when it was required. After a quick inspection of the runes, they weren’t anything special, Orianna approached the hole again.

  
It was pitch black inside. Orianna called for the ball and asked for its Lightstone. It opened, and it extended a metal pincher with a small golden stick. At the edge of the stick, a white magical crystal was illuminating everything around it. Orianna gave the ball a gentle pat on the top and took the Lightstone. The ball did a circle around her, bonked her on the head and flew higher. Orianna pointed the Lightstone inside the hole. The light revealed small ladder steps carved into the stone, but it failed to reach the bottom. Fearless, Orianna began climbing down towards the darkness.

  
After a minute’s climb, the walls around her disappeared, revealing a large black room. Orianna stepped off the ladder and onto the burned floor. A bed was on the wall behind the ladder, a chair and a table were on the wall next to it. The furniture was made of solid blocks of black stone. At the other side of the room, under a thick branch of the ancient’s tree root, the body of a mummified man was holding a brown journal.

  
Contrary to everything else, neither the man or the journal were burned.

  
Orianna approached the corpse cautiously. Sparse grey hair strands were hanging over the man’s eyes like prison bars. The remains of a once long, full beard were hanging from his chin, reaching close to his stomach. Upon closer inspection of the journal’s cover, Orianna read: _Expedition Journal of Bryce ~~Ferros~~ , Head of Science & Spiritual Research department of Piltover’s Library_.

  
The man’s last name was barely readable, covered by a dark red smudge that had covered most of it. Still, Orianna could tell who the man was by his title. Bryce Ferros, the black sheep of the infamous Clan Ferros. He had renounced his family’s fortune and power for an academic life.

  
Back at Piltover, he used to set up a long table outside the big green and silver doors of the Library, then scout the streets for urchin children. Once he spotted a kid, he would get a bowl of soup or sweets and would try to convince the kid to learn to read. Not long after he started doing so, kids began coming by every day and, a month later, more academics followed his example. Soon, an entire section of the Library was dedicated to reading classes. This and his friendly personality made Bryce a warm, loveable figure in the cold, fast-moving city of Piltover. It was the admiration of the city that had put a stop to any sinister plans his clan might had. Their only retaliation was to burn his image off the family tree. 

  
Orianna remembered hearing that Bryce had left the city on an expedition, a few months before the Fire.

  
She gently picked up the journal from his dried fingers. Her curiosity now overbearing, she opened the journal. The pages were stiff and thin, prone to shattering. Too scared to carry it to the surface or, spirits forbid, through a portal, Orianna gently placed it on the table and began reading.


	2. Days 0-25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Two quick things before you read this chapter.
> 
> 1\. I tried to write his entries as unstructured as possible like an actual journal would be. The somewhat messy writing is intentional ~~this time~~.
> 
> 2\. Using the [official Runeterra map](https://map.leagueoflegends.com/en_US) will help a ton in understanding Bryce's journey. Two images with a visual guide of his trip are on my Tumblr. Link to the specific post in the end notes.

**Day 7.**

  
I finally have a chance to sit down and write. The journey through Kumungu was tough. We got note that a group of Noxian deserters have escaped into the mountain range. They haven’t attacked anyone yet, not many people go south of Piltover, but my mechanical friends are on high alert.

  
Note for any future expeditions, install blue crystals on your bodyguards' eyes. Waking up to two bright red dots in the middle of the night is truly terrifying.

  
We didn’t light any fires this week. I understand why we were being cautious, but I can’t help but be somewhat irked that I spent six nights without reading before bed. A petty thing to be bothered about, but I wanted to review my research again.

  
Well, today we passed the tail of the Kalduga mountain range. To stop me from nagging, and since we are technically out of Kumungu, my bodyguards decided that a small fire wouldn’t do any harm. The heat of the fire is most welcome, but what I’m more happy of is its light. I finally managed to go through my notes real quick.

  
According to the rumours, the village is located somewhere in the-

* * *

  
**Day 8.**

  
We are camping at the western source of the Kumungu river. We didn’t walk much today, as we had guests. Thankfully, I was allowed to light a good fire tonight.

  
Apologies for yesterday’s sudden interruption. The Noxians found us, it turns out they aren’t deserters after all. Only two men trying to get to Zaun. 

  
Their names are Dravos and Morain, black market dealers from Bel’zhum. According to them, their competitors there were getting increasingly violent these last weeks. Their stocks were burned down, and Dravos was attacked. All his fingers on his right hand are broken and at least one of his ribs as well. Morain is carrying all their supplies, which are minimal, at best. They plan to use their street smarts to get small jobs in Zaun. 

  
They are kind people, smart and also very eloquent. I suggested the Library, in case the wanted to put those smarts into safer use. They seemed interested. I hope I’ll see them there when I return.

* * *

  
**Day 9.**

  
Today we walked a satisfying distance.

  
Back at Piltover, I had a few conversations with more experienced travellers. They all had said the same thing. “When you start a journey, your feet will hurt and burn for the first days, but soon you won't even notice it.” I can only assume that they were lying, as my feet are ever in pain. Although, to the travellers' defence, they must have assumed I would walk on trails or roads. That is not the case. We are cutting through wild, thick forests with very rare openings.

  
Tomorrow we won’t walk as much and I look forward to resting my poor legs.

* * *

  
**Day 10.**

  
The sun is still up, somewhere through the leaves, but we have stopped. I can’t walk any more today. I desperately need a break.

  
I think I’ll write how this expedition came to be from the start, I have time.

  
History shows that about ten millennia before man was created, Runeterra was covered in ice. As the first spirits made their appearance, the world’s climate began changing and the seasons we know made their appearance.

  
What intrigued me, was that there are locations that don’t truly follow the seasons. Ignoring Freljord and Shurima, another certain location seems to stay constant across history. A village somewhere in the northern edges of the unexplored jungles of Ixtal. It keeps a high temperature throughout the year. Rumours say that even during the worst winters, their land stayed warm enough to farm. During summer, it’s supposed to turn into a small patch of desert among the lush greens of the rainforest.

  
At first, people believed it was Bundle City. Or a village blessed by some Elemental Being like Anivia in Freljord. We can be almost certain that it is not Bundle City. We know that the City exists in a different world than ours, with the mystical portals our only connection to them. An Elemental... We can’t be sure about that. It is a good thought. Why would it stay in such a small area is the question that makes me sceptical. Anivia's grounds span an entire country. Why would this Elemental keep to a small forest village?

  
This was a fun topic to speculate about in the Library. And speculate was all we did, until two months ago. Ezreal returned from one of his adventures in Ixtal and mentioned a village he spent a night in. According to him, the area was extremely dry and hot, but only around the village. He said that it was not long after he left that he felt the cool and humidity of the forest coming back. Other than the obvious dryness and heat, Ezreal had talked about an enormous ancient tree at the centre. His description of it fit the fossils we have of the trees that appeared along with the first spirits. Unfortunately, the young man didn’t think to mark the village on the map. 

  
Still, the possibility of the fabled village existing lit a fire under me. It took me a month to convince the Headmaster to finance my expedition. I was planning to have Ezreal help me but he had already left, this time towards the Great City of Demacia. It will be months, or even a year before he comes back. Thankfully, I had taken some notes from his tale. 

  
This is probably the greatest discovery he has ever made and he doesn’t even know it yet. I’d love to see his expression when we tell him.

* * *

  
**Day 11.**

  
We are getting closer to the village’s possible locations. My mechanical friends are taking turns climbing up trees, searching for an opening in this jungle. We are close, I can feel it.

* * *

  
**Day 14.**

  
We had to remain stationary for the last two days. I got bit by some sort of insect and was delirious. I thank the spirits that wasn’t able to speak during my hallucinations. I dread to think what sort of commands I might have given to my bodyguards. 

  
We didn’t cover any distance these days.

* * *

  
**Day 15.**

  
We decided to climb towards one of Kalduga’s peaks today. Maybe we can spot the village easier that way.

  
We should reach the peak at midday tomorrow.

* * *

  
**Midday of Day 16.**

  
We are currently sitting at one of Kalduga’s shortest peaks. No luck. All we see is the green sea of the rainforest. We passed a small cave during our climb. We’ll go back and stay there for today.

  
**Night of Day 16.**

  
I did another complete revisit of what we know of the village’s location. It has to be somewhere between Piltover and Hareport. Maybe close to the Serpentine River..?

  
I have to say, I should have gone to some easier expeditions before this one. Or I should have waited for Ezreal. He would be a huge help...

  
Nothing I can do about it now. Tomorrow we’ll follow the river downstream. There is a good chance the village would be close to it. A constant source of water and all that.

* * *

  
**Day 20.**

  
We reached the Serpentine Delta. No sign of the village or people. We’ll go back upstream for a few days, maybe follow some of the animal paths? I don’t know.

  
To be honest, I am getting discouraged. Maybe Ezreal was just messing with me, he knows my fascination with the village...

  
No, no. Ezreal is known for joking about big findings, but he always comes clean a day later. No way. He’s a good kid.

* * *

  
**Day 23.**

  
WE FOUND A CORNFIELD! I KNEW EZREAL WASN’T LYING! I KNEW IT!

  
The sun has set so we’ll camp here for tonight. I sent one bodyguard to scout how far we are.

  
I also marked the field’s location on the map. Soon I’ll be able to mark the village too.

  
Oh, this is so exciting! I can’t wait for tomorrow!

* * *

  
**Day 24.**

  
Still walking on the path. It seems to be pretty far. The bodyguard I sent ahead hasn’t returned.

  
Why would they keep their fields so far- No, it makes sense if the abnormal heat rumours are true. Nothing would grow during summer. This has to be the place!

* * *

  
**Morning of Day 25.**

  
My bodyguard returned yesterday, in the middle of the night.

  
He saw it! Dry, barren land in the middle of the jungle. Buildings made of stone and an the enormous tree. 

  
A day’s walk and I’ll see it with my own eyes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Visual guide link.](https://acrestedeagle.tumblr.com/post/190139254433/visual-aid-for-chapter-2-of-this-fic-infernal)


	3. Days 26-49

**Day 29.**

  
I lost one of my bodyguards today. The metals that kept his possessing crystal in place melted. It was my fault, I instructed him to remain to the village during midday, to see if anything unusual happened while we were are away. I instructed my remaining friend to put his survival as his top priority (after mine, of course).

* * *

**Day 35.**

  
I’ve been writing on my research papers these days. But, revisits are always good. Oh, where to start... Well, let us pick things up from the beginning of my stay in this unusual place.

  
We arrived at the village on the night of day twenty-five.

  
The village is mostly made of an unidentified black stone. A few buildings, like the shack where they keep most of their tools, or the outhouse (located outside the heat zone that surrounds the village), are built with logs. Everything else is built with that black stone. There is not a single building with windows. The black stone is always warm to the touch but never burning. Even picking it up from a burning fire, it retains its warm temperature. The villagers refuse to tell me where they found it or why it retains a constant temperature regardless of its environment. They refuse to tell me a lot of things, but I shall get to that later. All of the buildings have their floors almost a meter high of the ground, their roofs flat. A single trapdoor is at the middle of each house, leading to the roof. I’ve seen them climb and sleep on the roofs many a time. A few nights ago, I tried it myself and I was surprised to see that the roofs are cool, especially compared to the inside of the buildings. There are thirteen houses, three storage buildings dedicated to food, an indoor “pool” with drinking water, the log cabin with their tools and a wide short building that acts as a temple. All these are built in a circle around the Great Tree (I talk about that further down). The temple is the closest to the Tree, the houses are slightly further away, with the storage buildings and the “pool” at the edges of the village. There are two different farms away from the village and one almost on top of it to the south. The further away farms are located north-east (that’s the one that led us here) and west of the village. These away farms are in use during summer, spring and autumn. The villagers save some of their yields, then continue farming on the close farm during winter.

  
The people here keep to themselves. They gave me an empty house to stay in. It’s located the furthest away from the Tree and a bit further away from the others. They haven’t taken my residency here kindly, but at least they don't let me starve. I find a bowl filled with food every day outside of my door. I’m also allowed to drink from the “pool”.

  
Anyway, the people. They look like Shurimans, with dark skin and long legs. The men are bald and generally, hair is spare in the village. Even women keep their hair to a minimum, the longest I’ve seen was about a pinky’s length. I wonder if that’s a custom because of the heat. Or maybe it’s genetic. I have to ask one day.

  
Speaking of heat, the climate. The rumours were not at all exaggerating. I fact, quite the opposite, tales of the high temperatures seem to have been toned down. It’s early summer and the sun is slowly starting to burn, that is, everywhere but here. Here, during midday, most of the village evacuates, else they risk getting a stroke. Inside the houses, the heat is somewhat more bearable, but the one time I choose to remain inside, I lost consciousness and woke up twelve hours later with severe dehydration. There is a constant flow of people walking to and from the river with water buckets. The heat drops slightly during the night, but even then, the only somewhat comfortable sleeping locations are in the middle of a house, or at the roofs. The ground is cracked and dry. I can feel its heat through my soles. I am quite certain that stepping on the dirt with bare feet would result in extreme burns within a few seconds. The extreme heat seems to drop to normal temperatures at about seven hundred meters away from the Tree. After that, the rainforest reclaims everything.

  
How would the Ancient Tree remains alive in such extreme heat is a question that I would love to answer. But unfortunately, I am forbidden to get near it, much less gather a sample to study or bring back. It is a majestic plant. 

  
(The following are approximate numbers) 

  
Fifty meters tall, about fifteen wide. Naked white trunk, up until the thirty meters mark. Then, long branches, about the height of an average man in width, are spreading for a hundred meters, covering most of the village in shade (it still feels boiling hot). Its leaves are similar to the images of maple trees I’ve seen in the Library. Only the edges are much more pointy and sharp looking. I am extremely confident in believing that this is indeed one of the Ancient Trees. Or, at the very least, a very close descendant.

  
The sun is getting low. I’ll write more tomorrow.

* * *

**Day 36.**

  
Some of the villagers want me to leave. Well, they wanted me to leave from the second day, but today they were much more aggressive. Thankfully, some other villagers kept them away from the house that I was given. I ordered my bodyguard to keep watch behind my door. I shall remain inside for a few days.

* * *

**Day 41.**

  
Today, for the first time, I saw a man that I can only assume is the leader. He got out of the Temple and looked at me when I was sitting on the roof. He has a long black beard, long nails that I could see from more than fifteen meters away and he walks barefooted on the hot ground. I guess that confirms that their lack of hair isn’t genetic, it’s a choice. Also, I need to know how he manages to walk on this burning soil.

  
Later in the evening, a man came to talk to me. His name is Akenio. I’ve seen him before, he was leading the men that defended me last time. He was curious as to what exactly did I want here. I spoke with him truthfully about the rumours, the strange temperature and my interest in the Tree. He was surprised to hear about the rumours, blew past my comments about the heat and reminded me that I’m not allowed near the Tree. It is sacred to them, he said. No one but the High Priest is allowed to get near. I assumed that the Priest is the bearded man and Akenio confirmed it.

  
We didn’t talk for too long, and he left suddenly, but I’m positive. If they see that I don’t mean to interfere with their lives and that I only want to record their lifestyle, maybe they’ll be more welcoming.

* * *

**Day 47.**

  
Akenio has been coming by every day. He’s a nice man. We talked a bit about their religion today.

  
It seems they believe in the first Spirits, which explains why they worship the Tree. Also, if I understood correctly, they believe that the Spirits assigned them a job, to protect the Tree and also something else. The second thing slipped his tongue and he left visibly shaken when he realized.

  
Whatever that second thing is, it’s either in the Temple or in(?) the Tree..?

  
I’ll try to get him to explain next time.

* * *

**Day 48.**

  
Akenio didn’t come today. The village was quieter than usual as well. Only the men that had water duty got out of their houses.

  
I’ll sleep inside today. Something’s off.

* * *

**Day 49.**

  
The whole village came and tried to open my door. I had my bodyguard to block it and they gave up fast. They demanded me to leave, without any of my research. I refused, obviously.

  
I dare not to climb to the roof. I have to leave, but with my research. Otherwise, this whole endeavour has been for nothing.


	4. Days 50+

  
The writing switched from calligraphy to weak scribbles that jumped all over the paper as if Bryce was writing in the dark or with minimal light.

* * *

**Day 50-something (I don’t know).**

  
Below the Tree. I’m below the Tree.

  
Oh...

  
What in the world has happened...

  
Three(?) days ago they came, crashed my door and destroyed my bodyguard. He was standing behind the door, as instructed, and it fell on him. They rushed me, tied me up and brought me inside their Temple.

  
The Priest interrogated me about my findings. I hid the fact that I learned about their assignment but he seemed to know. Later they brought in Akenio, beaten and bruised. He had talked, I’m certain. He didn’t say anything then. Later I realized he no longer could, as he didn’t have his tongue.

  
The Priest declared that the village would die before they gave out their secrets. Since I was so interested in the Tree, he declared I should die at its roots.

  
When we got out, the whole village was outside the Temple, waiting. They walked with us to the base of the Tree. There, they moved a coffin filled with offerings, revealing a trapdoor made of the black rock. They made me kneel there while the High Priest began his speech. It was a retelling about their ancestors’ duty.

  
It seems that the ice age before the Spirits was caused by something similar to an Elemental, only much more ancient and powerful. It was, or, rather, is called Shen. 

  
This Shen walked the earth and seas alone, his mere presence freezing the world. Then the Spirits came. One of them began talking with Shen. After years, they became a couple and from their union, a child was born. From its conception, it burned its mother's belly. Shen remained near her during her pregnancy, his cold making the pain bearable. Alas, his efforts were for nought when, nine months later, the child burned hotter than ever, burning its way out of its mother and melting its father. 

  
His lover died there, and Shen was extremely weakened but alive. He let the Spirits take care of the kid, but not before naming his daughter. 

  
Akali. 

  
When he made sure she would be taken care of, he remained near his love for some time, mourning.

  
Alarmed at the enormous power the child possessed, the Spirits used all of their powers to trap the infant deep under the ground. A Tree was planted over her prison, feeding on her power. Shen did not take long to realize what had happened and tried to get to her. Weak as he was, he was no much against the Spirits. He was defeated and, like his new-born daughter, trapped deep underground.

  
Akali was trapped in this very village. At the exact same place I’m currently trapped, actually. The unnatural heat was from her presence. According to the story, Shen was trapped far to the north, beyond the Freljord mountains.

  
To finish the Priest’s story, the Spirits ruled the world for some time. During their reign, the ancestors of these villagers were assigned the protection of this area. And so they lived here through the aeons, honouring their gods’ wishes.

  
After his speech, the Priest declared I would be sacrificed to the ancient infant. He sang a rune song and the trapdoor began rising. 

  
The heat intensified immediately. A bright red light was coming from the hole as they threw me in. I believe I would have died just by the fall, but I was caught by strong, steady hands. Then I felt my hair and beard catch fire and fought to get away. I crawled as far as I could before I looked at her.

  
Akali was an infant no longer. She looked like a human but was clearly not one. Her skin was burning bright red. Stone, similar to the one the village was build of, was forming her clothing. Darker hues covered her chest and midsection, with lighter, more ashen colours shaping into what looked like trousers reaching her knees. Below that, fires replaced her feet, making her look like she was floating. Black bracelets that reached up to her elbows were on her hands. Her hair was almost white, closer to red the further away from the roots you looked and was flowing around red, demon horns. Her eyes were burning brighter than anything I’ve ever seen. She had no mouth.

  
My notes and maps fell down, cutting my view of her for a second. It seems that the villagers wanted my work to burn with me. But it didn’t burn, nor did I. When Akali saw my notes falling, she realized that the hole was still open. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. I heard a loud thud the next second, which I now believe was the trapdoor falling back in its place.

  
The last thing I heard was a muted explosion that shacked the room.

  
Some of my maps caught on fire as she flew(?), jumped(?) next to them, so I managed to use them as a light for a while. I’ve burned them all by now. Only this journal remains.

_Bryce, Head of Science & Spiritual Research department of Piltover’s Library._


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you, don’t think about the upcoming armour part. Don’t. Just nod and move on.  
> Don’t think. Think and you’re dead. No thinking.  
> I mean, not really, but I always wanted to quote the Doctor.  
> K’ bye.

Orianna closed the journal and looked back at Bryce’s dry corpse, reflecting on the information in the journal. 

Her first thoughts were for Akali. She was forced into isolation since her birth, alone. Orianna had felt the same when she became her current self. No longer a human but not a robot either. Nowhere to fit in, alone. Despite his kind intentions, her father had forced her into isolation. A different kind than what Akali had experienced, but Orianna still felt for her. At least she had the Ball for company. Akali had nothing.

Or did she? Bryce had mentioned that Shen is immortal, still trapped somewhere in Freljord. If Orianna could find and free him, maybe Akali wouldn’t be alone anymore. Beyond the Freljord mountains, Bryce had written...

She’d like to give Bryce a burial, but moving him would probably result in his body turning to dust. Instead, she gave him a small bow and left.

At the surface, the Ball did a happy twirl when Orianna appeared from the hole. It flew to her and began circling her happily. After giving the Ball a gentle pat, Orianna observed the area again. Upon closer inspection of the ruins, she saw that the black rock had cracked, not melted. She felt safe to assume that the beginning of the Fire was here, so the buildings must have cracked from the initial explosion. Whatever that material was, it could withstand Akali’s power at a point-blank range. It could prove useful so she began looking for fragments and soon, she was sitting near a pile almost as tall as her. Orianna leaned her back to it and the Ball came to rest at her lap. Sitting like that, they waited for some days.

The sound of air being pulled alarmed her one morning. A blue and gold portal was opening in front of her. Through it, hills with wild green fields could be seen. Then, a golden tail with sparse white hairs.

“Ori!”

Yuumi jumped into view, golden magic sparkles floating around her. The blue cat had gained a few more white spots around her fur and her eyes weren’t as bright as they used to. Still, Yuumi was energetic as ever, as she jumped through the portal and onto the top of the Ball. She purred slightly as she rubbed her head to Orianna’s chest first, then to the Ball’s monocle. Orianna scratched her friend’s ears.

“Hello, Yuumi. How are you?”

“Great!” Yuumi jumped off the Ball and did a loop, demonstrating her vigour. “I have more white hair though. That’s annoying.”

“I think it’s nice. You look wiser.”

Yuumi brought her tail in front of her, inspecting it.

“Maybe...” She let her tail fall and tilted her head, looking at the pile of rocks behind Orianna. “What’s that?”

“Oh, could we bring these with us? I’ll explain everything at home.”

Yuumi flew to the rocks and sniffed them carefully.

“Hmm... Yep.” A golden magic sack formed around the rocks and lifted them up and through the portal. “Oh! Book says hi too. Come, come!”

Orianna jumped through the portal, onto the green scenery. The Ball flew behind her, with Yuumi sitting back on its top. From this side, Orianna finally saw the Book, laying open bellow the portal. It shut close by itself, the portal mimicking it a second later. It flew to the air and gave a welcoming tap on Orianna’s forehead, then to the side of the Ball.

“Hello, Book.” Orianna traced its hardcover with her hand. It pressed against her palm and let her carry it.

Yuumi was dozing off on top of the Ball and the Book was vibrating softly in Orianna’s hand as a cool breeze accompanied them to a nearby hut.

* * *

“-Piltover’s Library.” Orianna finished reciting Bryce’s journal.

“Hmm...” Yuumi was curled on a rock outside their hut, sunbathing. “And the rocks you brought here? What do you want with them?”

“I want to go back, find Shen and bring Akali to him,” Orianna answered. “These rocks maintain their temperature constantly. I want to make an armour that will allow me to get close to Akali, so when I find Shen I can lead her to him.”

“Mmm...” Yuumi turned her belly at the sun. “Poppy could help with that.” She opened one eye. “You’ll be back after, yes?”

“Yes, I will be back,” Orianna reassured her.

She had lived with the cat for a while now. Yuumi was usually very affectionate and kind, for a cat. But, when there was mention of Orianna leaving, Yuumi would get cold and distant, and would pretend she didn’t care.

“I’ll be back,” Orianna repeated.

“Hmmph.”

* * *

The once frozen Freljord mountains were towering behind Orianna as she walked through the grey, sticky mud. Orianna didn’t mind. She was clad in impenetrable black armour, five centimetres thick. During the armour’s construction, Orianna had gained a newfound respect for Poppy.

Even though the Yordle couldn’t mould the black rocks, she had found a way to make the armour. She first broke it in tiny pieces, then stuck them together like she was assembling a three-dimensional puzzle. An eyeless visor was put in the helmet, allowing Orianna to see. But, Poppy had warned her that if she closed it, she wouldn’t be able to open it again as it was a perfect fit.

Given the visual impairment that came with the armour, they had agreed to simply find and free Shen, instead of leading Akali to him.

Yuumi had walked with her for a few days, then, as the temperature began dropping, she jumped back to Bandle City. She would open a portal, sometimes multiple times a day, to check on Orianna. It was the only way to keep the increasingly worried cat at ease.

Orianna kept walking north. At the northern foothills of the northern mountains, a sudden earthquake made her lose her footing. It stopped for a minute, then began again. The further north she went, the more intense the shaking became. Not a day later, Orianna discovered a small patch of ice, surrounded by mud and melted snow. It was hundreds of meters wide, filled with cracks and with a constant stream of white steam coming out of it. The quakes were now getting so strong that she had to crawl, or she would fall at every tremble. At the centre, a black trapdoor remained unaffected of the temperature. She had found Shen’s prison.

As she crawled on top of it, another earthquake shook the earth. And, as if it was coming from the trapdoor, a muffled voice, screaming a name.

As Orianna waited for Yuumi, she tried to figure out what the voice was yelling. After many more earthquakes, she understood the last syllable.

“-li!”

Akali! That must have been the word! Sometimes louder, sometimes quieter, but always there, the scream accompanied the earthquakes. Orianna wondered he had ever stopped.

Yuumi appeared through a portal a few minutes later. She climbed on Orianna’s shoulder and used her magic to help Orianna get up to her feet. Gold and blue threads of magic traced Orianna as she put her hands on the trap door’s handle.

Then, she pulled it off as Yuumi pulled her through the portal that closed after them.

* * *

The Freljord mountains shook and mountaintops collapsed as a scream echoed through the skies.

“AKALI!!!”

A man rose above the mountains. White armour of solid ice was covering a sturdy body. His skin was blue, leaning to light purple, like a frozen corpse. His icy purple eyes began to quickly scan the horizon, filled with worry.

* * *

Far east, in the once lush lands of Ionia, Akali had stopped wandering. She had hugged her knees and buried her head between them, leaning against the slopes of a mountain, lost. She was playing a faint memory again and again in her head.

_Purple eyes crying. A voice. A name, Akali. Strange ethereal hands pulling her away-_

She heard the voice again.

Only this time, it wasn’t inside her head. After a minute, the voice called again. It was screaming a name, almost in pain.

Akali grabbed the peak of the mountain and used it to help herself stand. Curious, she began walking towards the sound, and soon, she heard it again, clearly this time.

“AKALIII!!!”

The name. The name from the memory. Without realizing it, she began running towards the voice, as bright red rivers of molten lava began streaming from her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Worldbuilding is fun.  
> 2\. Writing in journal form was actually quite liberating.  
> 3\. I'm leaving Shen and Akali's reunion to your imagination. No, Akali doesn't melt him by mistake again. They cancel each other out.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. :)


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